One Day

Based on David Nicholls’ novel of the same name, this film spans a 20-year timeframe that outlines the tumultuous relationship of two flirty friends (Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) who can’t quite seem to get together. We first check in with the pair at their college graduation, then again (and again) as they repeat their “one day” together each year, on the anniversary of that encounter. We watch cynical-yet-sweet Hathaway pursue her writing dreams, as playboy Sturgess struggles with a glamorously destructive lifestyle of fame and fortune. As they age, their complicated friendship adapts to the changing dramas of their lives. Love, death, addiction, regrets: it’s all covered, qualifying the film as a heavy love story (bring the tissues). Unfortunately, the “once a year” plot structure has some pitfalls. It interrupts the narrative, stifling the growth of their relationship. I’m guessing the novel had time to flesh out the complexities of the characters more appropriately. But Hathaway and Sturgess do have convincing chemistry as would-be lovers and are able to fill in the gaps. Cinemark 14. Rated PG-13